


Fragrant

by polgara



Series: Fish Climbing Trees [12]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 07:32:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7967962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polgara/pseuds/polgara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because Buffy is who she is, her first trip into space isn't routine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fragrant

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, settings, or fandoms. They are the property of their respective creators and companies. 
> 
>  
> 
> Please note that I haven't seen the newest movies so please, no spoilers.

Buffy did her best to keep her breaths shallow as she looked out the shuttle's viewport. Just below she could see Earth getting larger and thought she had never seen a more beautiful sight in her life. She could hear her fellow passengers nearly sigh in relief as the end of their ordeal was finally in sight. 

She seriously considered smacking Jim the next time she saw him, because she knew the disaster that she called her life of the last six weeks was all his fault. It'll be a cake walk, he insisted. You'll be bored to tears, he swore. And maybe, just maybe, he would have been right, if things had gone the way they had been originally planned, but no, this was her life they were talking about and nothing ever went that easy. 

The first week, yes, she would admit it, was boring. They spent the first half en route to the nebula they were to chart and she got to experience the day in, day out humdrum of daily life on board a starship. Second half was tedious as she hung out while the scientist got all excited about the gaseous content of the cloud and nearly waxed poetic over it. Meanwhile, she was stuck running the same old drills over and over again until she was seeing them when she closed her eyes at night. She was looking forward to the away mission that they had planned for the beginning of the third week where they actually got to visit another planet. 

Then all hell broke loose, in an almost literal fashion. It had started with a simple malfunction in one of the relay lines from engineering to the mess, and while that one was being repaired another cropped up on the lower level living quarters, and then another, and then another. Then the ship was filled with alarms and lovely warning statements from the ship's computer and red light bathed everyone in a freakish haze. 

Thanks to Jim's tutoring sessions, Buffy found herself being pressed into service with the engineering department and their ever growing amount of repairs. They had cascaded to a point that the ship was nearly dead in the water with life support hanging on by a thread. The crew worked around the clock for over a week just to ensure that they all stayed alive and Buffy finally understood Len's fear of space. 

Every port just showed a wide expanse of black pressing in on them. She began to avoid looking out any nearby port to keep herself from hyperventilating. The cold, unforgiving blackness of space was the one thing she could not combat and win. 

The communications array went down and they didn't have a scheduled check in for at least another week, which meant no one knew they were in trouble. And possibly, even worse, the water filtration system was operating on barely nominal levels which meant no baths. For anyone. 

It took nearly three weeks before they had managed to get repairs completed to a point that they could get a message out and slowly start making their way back to Earth and the Starbase to enact full repairs. Even then communications were limited to official channels only and it seemed they moved at a snail's pace.

However, she had been blessed by being part of a great crew. Yes, nerves were frayed from intense work and lack of sleep,and they were living in an increasingly fragrant environment, but yet, no one fell apart. No fights broke out among the crew, and everyone pitched in where they could. Even the Captain had aided in the repairs. It had been refreshing to see everyone working towards a common goal.

Still was hell on her delicate senses, though. 

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as the shuttle smoothly settled in the hangar. It took her last ounce of willpower to not immediately jump to her feet and shove her way out, but to wait and file orderly out with the rest of the cadets. She wasn't the only one anxious to get back to her room and shower. 

Buffy carefully maneuvered her way out of the main path of cadets exiting the shuttle behind her and took a moment to pause and breathe in unrecycled air. It was the sweetest thing she had smelled in weeks. She opened her eyes when she heard Len call out to her. 

A smile broke out on her face as she took in his welcomed appearance as he jogged over to her. It was only a moment before his strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her in close. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and drank in his presence. Mentally she corrected herself and decided that this was the sweetest thing she had smelled in weeks. 

“I was so worried about you, darlin',” he said, his voice husky with emotion, his own face buried in her hair. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled softly, refusing to move from her newly formed cocoon. 

“It wasn't your fault, but I honestly worried about you from the moment you stepped on that shuttle,” he admitted. 

“You're sweet and I wouldn't have it any other way,” she said, placing a small kiss on his neck. “And I totally get why you're scared of space now. It seemed like we were out there forever.” 

“Damn near were,” he said, hugging her tighter. For a long moment they said nothing, only enjoying the others presence, before Len said with a frown, “What's that smell?” 

Buffy pulled out of his embrace and shot him a dirty look. “Me. This is what happens when there are no showers.” 

Len's eyes widened in panic for a moment before he recovered. He bent down to pick up her bag and then offered her his arm. “I think I know exactly how to remedy that. I am a doctor and I have the perfect treatment in mind.” 

“It had better include an extremely lengthy shower followed by a massage,” Buffy muttered as she took his arm. 

“That and so much more.”


End file.
